Physical removal is an option for isolated plants, particularly if they have not seeded. Note, however, that any attempted control of white Spanish broom should be undertaken cooperatively with your local council and or neighbours. scoparius) will also be effective for white Spanish broom, including the ‘cut and mulch’ method outlined in the case study above and recently used in Tasmania. The methods that are useful on broom ( C. Control effort that is poorly performed or not followed up can actually help spread the weed and worsen the problem.Īlthough there has only been relatively limited research into the effectiveness of different control methods on white Spanish broom, field tests have shown that it is relatively easy to kill by using mechanical and physical removal, herbicides and burning. Do not try to control white Spanish broom without their expert assistance. Macquarie University.īecause there are relatively few white Spanish broom infestations, and it can potentially be eradicated before it becomes established, any new outbreaks should be reported immediately to your local council weed officer. Weed Futures: Determining current and future weed threats in Australia, Cytisus multiflorus.AcknowledgementsĬRC for Australian Weed Management: Andy Sheppard (CSIRO/Weeds CRC), John Hosking (NSW Agriculture/Weeds CRC), Eddie Talbot (West Coast Weed Strategy, Tasmania), Michael Hansford (Vic DPI) and John Thorp (National Weeds Management Facilitator). In Australia it has spread from lakeside plantings into roadsides and townships, but it could also establish in a wide range of disturbed and undisturbed habitats such as grasslands and open eucalypt woodlands. Little is known of the environmental requirements of white Spanish broom. As a weed, it is known to enter relatively undisturbed bushland. What type of environment does it grow in? Each pod contains between three and seven seeds, which are 2.5–3.0 mm long and olive to brown in colour. The pods turn black when mature and release seeds explosively when ripe. The seed pods are covered with short hairs and are generally 15–27 mm long and 4–7 mm wide. The flowers are white with a pink streak at the base and 9–12 mm long. White Spanish broom has finer, greyer foliage than broom.īoth the flowers and seed pods are pea-like. The leaves are arranged in groups of three leaflets on lower branches and a single leaflet on higher branches. Young stems and leaves are covered with short hairs which are lost as the plant ages. White Spanish broom is a large shrub which grows to 3 m high and has striped green stems. Infestations may also spread locally through plant pieces taking root. scoparius seed is greatest once the hard seed coat is breached by fire, and this mechanism is also likely to be required by white Spanish broom. scoparius (Scotch broom), which is still viable 20 years after being dropped. Like many legumes, white Spanish broom is hard seeded and the seeds remain viable for a long time in the soil, probably as long as the seed of the closely related C. It may be spread over longer distances by movement of seed by water or in mud attached to vehicles, machinery, footwear and animals. White Spanish broom generally spreads by seed, with most seed falling within 1 m of the parent plants. It has also been introduced as an ornamental in India, Australia, Italy, United States, New Zealand and Argentina. In Australia it has become a weed and is quite common in central Victoria. It has been eradicated from the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia. White Spanish broom is native to Portugal, Spain and France. In pastures white Spanish broom forms thickets that prevent grazing and restrict access to water. Like all brooms, it invades a wide range of fertile soils where it can fix nitrogen and form a dense scrub layer that outcompetes native species. It also provides shelter for feral animals and its seeds are poisonous. White Spanish broom is a serious environmental weed in Victoria and is targeted for eradication. This plant is on the National Environmental Alert List
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